Save Article

Computer Programmers Learn Tough Lesson in Sharing

An April Fool's Day spoof video from software company Atlassian pokes fun at pair programming. This is an excerpt from that video, "Spooning."

By

Joseph Walker

Aug. 26, 2012 10:30 p.m. ET

Virginia Woolf argued that a woman writer needs a room of her own. In Silicon Valley, some companies are questioning whether software programmers even need their own cubicles.

Their method is "pair programming"—where two people share one desk and one computer. One person is the "driver," controlling the keyboard and typing in code. The other "navigates," monitoring design and scanning for bugs.